Equipment upgrading method and device, computer readable storage medium and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses an equipment upgrading method and device, a computer readable storage medium and electronic equipment. The method comprises the following steps: controlling firmware downloading equipment in a target equipment group in a networking system to download target upgrading firmware of the target equipment group; controlling the firmware downloading equipment to transmit the target upgrading firmware to target to-be-upgraded equipment in the target equipment group through a corresponding local area network; an upgrading instruction is sent to the target to-be-upgraded device, and the upgrading instruction is used for indicating the target to-be-upgraded device to be upgraded based on the target upgrading firmware. According to the method and the device, the technical problem of waste of network resources caused by the fact that all the devices automatically download the upgrade firmware from the server when the devices in the current networking system are upgraded is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of firmware upgrade, and in particular, to a device upgrade method, device, computer-readable storage medium, and electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In order to achieve full-house coverage of home Wi-Fi, it is common to network two or more devices. The devices for networking may be of the same model or different models. After a user has used the devices for a period of time, device manufacturers often release new software versions to fix problems / add new functions, etc. to improve the user experience. Therefore, there is a need for firmware upgrade for the devices.

[0003] In the case of networking multiple devices, when there are multiple devices of the same model, the devices of the same model need to download the firmware separately, resulting in the problem of repeated downloading of the same firmware, increasing the server access pressure, and wasting network resources.

[0004] In view of the above problems, no effective solution has been proposed yet. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention provide a device upgrade method, device, computer-readable storage medium, and electronic device to at least solve the technical problem that when devices in a current networking system are upgraded, all devices go to the server to download the upgrade firmware by themselves, resulting in a waste of network resources.

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a device upgrade method is provided, including: controlling a firmware download device in a target device group in a networking system to download a target upgrade firmware of the target device group; controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to a target device to be upgraded in the target device group through a corresponding local area network; and sending an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

[0007] Optionally, before controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: reading an initial device list to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group from a preset server; sending the initial device list to be upgraded to a target terminal; receiving a target device list to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target device list to be upgraded is a list obtained by modifying and / or determining the initial device list to be upgraded; and synchronizing the target device list to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

[0008] Optionally, before the control firmware download device transfers the target upgrade firmware to the target devices to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: receiving the upgrade information feedback by the devices in the target device group, where the upgrade information indicates whether the corresponding device needs to be upgraded; determining the initial list of target devices to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group based on the upgrade information corresponding to the devices in the target device group; sending the initial list of target devices to be upgraded to the target terminal; receiving the target list of devices to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target list of devices to be upgraded is a list obtained after modifying and / or determining the initial list of target devices to be upgraded; synchronizing the target list of devices to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

[0009] Optionally, the above method further includes receiving the download duration feedback by the firmware download device; determining whether the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds a first preset duration; and in the case where the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds the first preset duration, controlling the firmware download device to stop downloading and generate a prompt message.

[0010] Optionally, before sending an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, it includes: sending a recording instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the recording instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to record the information of the front-end device currently connected.

[0011] Optionally, the target device to be upgraded restarts after the upgrade is completed and connects to the front-end device based on the recorded front-end device information.

[0012] Optionally, in the case where the connection duration between the target device to be upgraded and the front-end exceeds a second preset duration, the target device to be upgraded scans the currently connectable front-end devices again and connects according to its own connection strategy.

[0013] Optionally, the above method further includes: in the case of adding a new device to the networking system, obtaining the device information corresponding to the new device, where the device information includes the device model and version; and determining the device group corresponding to the new device based on the device information corresponding to the new device.

[0014] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a device upgrade apparatus, including: a first control module for controlling the firmware download device in the target device group in the networking system to download the target upgrade firmware of the target device group; a second control module for controlling the firmware download device to transfer the target upgrade firmware to the target devices to be upgraded in the target device group according to the upgrade information feedback by the devices in the target device group; and a sending module for sending an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a stored executable program. When the executable program runs, it controls the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to execute the device upgrade method of any one of the above.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device, including: a memory storing an executable program; a processor for running the program. When the program runs, it executes the device upgrade method of any one of the above.

[0017] According to yet another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a computer program product, including a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the device upgrade method of any one of the above.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present invention, by adopting the device upgrade method, the firmware download device in the target device group in the networking system is controlled to download the target upgrade firmware of the target device group; the firmware download device is controlled to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group according to the information to be upgraded fed back by the devices in the target device group; an upgrade instruction is sent to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware. The purpose of downloading the upgrade firmware through the firmware download device and then synchronizing it to other devices to be upgraded in the same device group is achieved, thereby realizing the technical effect of reducing the waste of network resources, and further solving the technical problem of waste of network resources caused by all devices downloading the upgrade firmware from the server by themselves when the devices in the current networking system are upgraded. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The schematic embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the device upgrade method provided by the embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is a flowchart of locking associated front-end devices provided by an optional embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is an upgrade flowchart of the device upgrade method provided by an optional embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is a structural block diagram of the device upgrade device provided by the embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily need to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0026] First, some nouns or terms that appear during the description of the embodiments of the present application are applicable to the following explanations:

[0027] In a Mesh network, each device (node) can communicate with one or more other devices to form a network, and data can be transmitted through multiple paths. The Mesh network can achieve self-repair and optimize paths, and is suitable for scenarios such as homes, offices, and industrial environments that require a large-scale wireless coverage.

[0028] EasyMesh is a standardized protocol launched by the Wi-Fi Alliance, aiming to provide a unified management framework and technical specifications for Wi-Fi Mesh networks in home network environments. The goal of EasyMesh is to enable Wi-Fi devices from different manufacturers to interoperate, thereby building a flexible, scalable, and easy-to-manage Mesh network. Through EasyMesh, users can use devices from different brands and models to expand the coverage of their home wireless network and improve network performance and stability.

[0029] According to the embodiments of the present invention, a method embodiment of a device upgrade method is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions. And although the logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described herein can be executed in a different order than here.

[0030] Generally, in order to achieve a wide coverage of WIFI, two or more devices are commonly used to form a network. The devices forming the network may be of the same model or different models. After purchasing and using the devices for a period of time, device manufacturers often release new software versions to fix problems / add new functions, etc. to improve the user experience. Therefore, there is a need for firmware upgrade of the devices. When there are multiple devices of the same model, each device of the same model needs to download the firmware separately, resulting in repeated downloading of the same firmware, increasing the server access pressure and causing waste of network resources. To solve this technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a device upgrade method. Figure 1 It is a schematic flowchart of the device upgrade method provided by an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 1 shown. The method includes the following steps:

[0031] Step S102, control the firmware download device in the target device group in the networking system to download the target upgrade firmware of the target device group.

[0032] The execution subject of the method in this embodiment may be the master device in the networking system. When there are multiple devices in the networking system, one device can be selected as the master device, that is, the Controller device, and other devices are called Agent devices. Because the master device is responsible for the management, configuration and coordination of the entire network. Therefore, when selecting the master device, it can be selected based on factors such as the performance, connection method, and network location of the device. In an ideal situation, the master device should be the device with the strongest performance and the most stable in the network to support the execution of network management tasks. In addition, the hardware robustness and software stability of the master device are also considerations. Moreover, to ensure the reliability and control efficiency of the master device, it should preferably use a wired connection (such as Ethernet) to access the Internet. Wired connections provide more stable data transmission than wireless connections, which is particularly important for tasks that require a large amount of data transmission such as network control and firmware upgrade. When selecting the master device, a device located in the center of the network should also be selected as much as possible so that the master device can effectively and quickly manage and control the entire network. If the network consists of multiple subnets or regions, the master device should be placed in a location that can easily access all subnets to ensure the global network management ability. In actual operation, when selecting the master device, the performance, location and connection method of all devices in the network can be evaluated first, and then the most suitable device can be selected as the master device according to the above principles. In addition, some Mesh network systems will automatically identify and recommend the device with the strongest performance as the master device during design, or allow users to manually specify the master device to simplify this process.

[0033] In this step, there may be one or more target device groups in the networking system. Each device group includes one or more devices. A firmware download device can be set in each target device group. The firmware download device is responsible for downloading the target upgrade firmware from the server. The selection criteria for the firmware download device are usually determined based on factors such as the network connection quality and link rate of the device. The device groups can be divided based on the device model and version, but are not limited to the model and version. After division, the upgrade firmware required by the devices in the same device group is the same. When the devices in the networking system need to be upgraded, the master device can control the firmware download device in the target device group to download the target upgrade firmware corresponding to the target device group from the server.

[0034] For example, the master device can send instructions to trigger the firmware download device in each device group to perform firmware download. Similarly, if the master device also needs to perform firmware upgrade, it will also trigger its own firmware download logic at the same time. In addition to the firmware download device going to the server to download the corresponding upgrade firmware by itself, the master device can also download all the required upgrade firmware, and then transfer the upgrade firmware to the corresponding firmware download device through the local area network, or directly transfer it to the device to be upgraded. However, the master device needs to bear greater pressure at this time and requires more memory to store all the firmware.

[0035] Step S104, control the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group through the corresponding local area network.

[0036] In this step, after the firmware download device completes the download of the upgrade firmware, it can transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the same device group. For example, it can be transmitted through the local area network. TCP / IP or other suitable transmission protocols may be used during transmission to ensure the integrity of the data and the reliability of the transmission. The transmission process can be point-to-point or sent to multiple devices simultaneously, depending on the network bandwidth and the receiving capabilities of the devices. During the transmission process, the firmware download device can also monitor the transmission progress to determine whether the device to be upgraded has successfully received the upgrade firmware. The result of whether the device to be upgraded has successfully received the upgrade firmware can also be synchronized to the master device, and the master device can send upgrade instructions based on this result subsequently.

[0037] The firmware download device can obtain the list of devices to be upgraded in its own device group from the server. Devices in the device group can also query the latest version information corresponding to themselves from the server, then determine whether they need to be upgraded, and directly feedback the results to the firmware download device to form a list of devices to be upgraded. Usually, the server will track the current firmware versions of all devices in the network to facilitate comparison with the latest version. This can determine which devices' firmware is outdated and needs to be upgraded to a new version to fix security vulnerabilities, enhance functions, or improve performance. Therefore, in the networking system, the firmware download device can first query the list of devices to be upgraded from the server and then transfer the target upgrade firmware according to the list of devices to be upgraded.

[0038] Through the above steps, the target upgrade firmware is transferred from the firmware download device to the target devices to be upgraded in the target device group, thereby reducing the waste of network resources, improving the efficiency of the upgrade process, and the stability of the overall network.

[0039] Step S106: Send an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

[0040] In this step, the master device can send an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded through the network (wired or wireless). To ensure the accurate delivery of the instruction, the master device may need to use a reliable transmission protocol, such as TCP, to ensure that the instruction can be correctly received even in a complex network environment. The target device to be upgraded will load the upgrade firmware for upgrade based on the received upgrade instruction. After receiving the upgrade instruction, the target device to be upgraded will send an acknowledgment instruction to the master device, indicating that it has received the upgrade instruction and started the upgrade. Among them, the devices to be upgraded in each device group may or may not include the firmware download device, and the specific situation can be determined according to the obtained list of devices to be upgraded. The master device is usually also located in a device group. If the master device itself is also a device to be upgraded, like other devices to be upgraded, it first receives the upgrade firmware transmitted by the firmware download device, but the master device can first not perform the upgrade after receiving the upgrade firmware and wait to start the upgrade after receiving the acknowledgment instructions feedback by other devices to be upgraded.

[0041] Specifically, after receiving the upgrade instruction, the target device to be upgraded can also verify the upgrade instruction to avoid incorrect upgrades or the execution of malicious instructions and ensure the security of the upgrade process. For example, it can check whether the device ID in the instruction matches itself and whether the firmware version information is the updated version, etc.

[0042] The target device to be upgraded can return the upgrade result to the master device. Since there may be some devices that fail to upgrade due to network anomalies or other reasons, the upgrade result can be synchronized to the master device so that the master device can take corresponding measures in a timely manner. If the master device also needs to be upgraded with firmware, it can first perform operations such as firmware loading. After the loading is completed, it can wait to receive the response information from all the target devices to be upgraded that have obtained the new version of the firmware before starting the upgrade. If no response is received for a period of time, it is considered that the upgrade of the device has failed. The devices that have failed to upgrade can wait for the next round of upgrade or reload the upgrade firmware to perform the upgrade.

[0043] The above steps achieve the purpose of downloading the upgrade firmware through the firmware download device and then synchronizing it to other devices to be upgraded in the same device group, thus realizing the technical effect of reducing the waste of network resources, and further solving the technical problem of waste of network resources caused by all devices going to the server to download the upgrade firmware by themselves when the devices in the current networking system are upgraded.

[0044] As an alternative embodiment, before controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: reading the initial device list to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group from a preset server; sending the initial device list to be upgraded to the target terminal; receiving the target device list to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target device list to be upgraded is a list obtained by modifying and / or determining the initial device list to be upgraded; synchronizing the target device list to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

[0045] As an alternative embodiment, before controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: receiving the upgrade information feedback by the devices in the target device group, where the upgrade information indicates whether the corresponding device needs to be upgraded; determining the initial device list to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group based on the upgrade information corresponding to the devices in the target device group; sending the initial device list to be upgraded to the target terminal; receiving the target device list to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target device list to be upgraded is a list obtained by modifying and / or determining the initial device list to be upgraded; synchronizing the target device list to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

[0046] Optionally, the master device can read the initial list of devices to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group from a preset server, or the firmware download device can read the initial list of devices to be upgraded corresponding to its own device group from the preset server and then send it to the master device. For example, it can be set that the master device obtains the initial list of devices to be upgraded once every preset time interval, that is, the upgrade cycle is set. It can also be triggered spontaneously by the user, or it can be set to trigger an upgrade query when a new device joins the networking system. When the firmware download device reads the initial list of devices to be upgraded, the master device can first send an instruction to the firmware download device, and after receiving the instruction, the firmware download device goes to the server to query whether an upgrade is needed and the initial list of devices to be upgraded.

[0047] Each device can also query the information of the latest version from the server by itself, and then determine whether it needs to be upgraded. Then, it feeds back its own information to be upgraded to the master device, and the master device summarizes the initial list of devices to be upgraded.

[0048] Normally, the initial list of devices to be upgraded includes devices that have not been updated to the latest version. The master device can send the initial list of devices to be upgraded to the target terminal, and the user can perform processing operations on the initial list of devices to be upgraded at the target terminal. For example, the user can delete the devices in the initial list of devices to be upgraded. After the user confirms that the list of devices to be upgraded is correct at the target terminal, the master device can receive the target list of devices to be upgraded returned from the target terminal, and then synchronize the target list of devices to be upgraded to the firmware download device, so that the firmware download device can subsequently transmit the upgrade firmware based on this list.

[0049] Specifically, the master device reads the initial list of devices to be upgraded of the target device group from the preset server. This list contains all the device information that needs to be upgraded, and may be generated based on factors such as the device model, the current firmware version, and the availability of the new firmware version. Then, the initial list of devices to be upgraded is sent to the target terminal, which can be the user's management interface or control panel. In this way, the user can view which devices are scheduled for upgrade. The target terminal allows the user to perform processing operations on the initial list of devices to be upgraded, and these operations can be modification or confirmation. Modification operations may include adding or deleting certain devices to meet the specific needs or policies of the user; the confirmation operation is that the user confirms the upgrade list to obtain the target list of devices to be upgraded: the master device synchronizes the finally determined target list of devices to be upgraded to the firmware download device, so that the firmware download device knows which devices need to obtain the target upgrade firmware. This step ensures that the firmware download device can accurately download the correct firmware file and then transmit it to the target devices to be upgraded.

[0050] Currently, many systems cannot select the devices that need to be upgraded by themselves. They only support one-key upgrading of all devices and cannot perform upgrades according to user needs. This alternative embodiment provides a method for users to control the upgrade operation, allowing users to select the devices to be upgraded according to their own needs and the actual network situation. At the same time, by sending the processed device list to the firmware download device, resource waste can be effectively avoided, ensuring that the upgrade operation is only performed on necessary devices, improving efficiency and reducing the impact on network resources. In this way, the control networking system can handle firmware upgrades more flexibly and efficiently while maintaining network stability and the continuity of the user experience.

[0051] As an alternative embodiment, receive the download duration feedback from the firmware download device; determine whether the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds a first preset duration; in the case where the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds the first preset duration, control the firmware download device to stop downloading and generate a prompt message.

[0052] Optionally, during the download of the upgraded firmware, the firmware download device can synchronize the download duration to the master device. A maximum firmware download duration, i.e., the first preset duration, can be set. The first preset duration can be a reasonable maximum download time preset based on factors such as network conditions, device storage capacity, and firmware size. If the download duration of the firmware download device exceeds the first preset duration, then control the firmware download device to stop downloading and consider the device's download as failed. In addition to synchronizing the download duration, other download situations and error messages can also be synchronized, such as download progress, download speed, version information of the upgraded firmware, etc., to facilitate the master device to better understand the download situation. After the download fails, the master device can generate a prompt message based on the download situation. The prompt message can include the reason for download timeout and can be sent to the target terminal to prompt the user that there is a failure in the firmware download device. After the download fails, the master device can choose whether to re-download or wait for the next round of upgrades. Or the master device can send the prompt message to the target terminal and then let the user choose whether to re-download.

[0053] Specifically, the master device can also adjust the upgrade task based on the timeout event. For example, it may select another device from the same group as the new firmware download device, or temporarily remove the timed-out device from the upgrade list and re-attempt the upgrade after the network conditions improve.

[0054] Through the above mechanism, the system can effectively monitor and control the firmware download process, ensure the reasonable utilization of network resources, and take timely measures when problems occur during the firmware download, avoiding the situation where the upgrade of other devices is affected due to an abnormality in a certain device (such as poor network signal, abnormal self-operation, etc.) resulting in long-term download and occupation of network resources.

[0055] As an optional embodiment, before sending an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, it includes: sending a recording instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the recording instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to record the information of the front-end device currently connected.

[0056] Optionally, before the target device to be upgraded is upgraded, the master control device can send a recording instruction to the target device to be upgraded, and the target device to be upgraded can record the information of the front-end device currently connected based on the recording instruction. This step ensures that before the device is upgraded and restarted, it can record various information of the front-end device currently connected, including but not limited to SSID, password, MAC address, and possibly IP address, etc. These information are the keys for the wireless device to reconnect to the correct front-end device. After receiving the recording instruction, the target device to be upgraded will collect and save all necessary information related to the current front-end device.

[0057] The above steps can avoid the problem that only some devices need to be upgraded and the upgrade time of different models of devices is different, resulting in the upgraded devices in the networking system being associated with other front-end devices, changing the original network topology.

[0058] In a Mesh network system, there are multiple satellite devices. Satellite devices usually use wireless to connect to the front-end device. When the device is upgraded and restarted, if it directly scans and connects to the front-end device by itself, it may not ensure that the front-end device connected before and after the restart is the same, thus resulting in a change in the original network topology. Therefore, by controlling the target device to be upgraded to record the information of the front-end device currently connected before the upgrade, it is convenient to connect based on the recorded information after the upgrade and restart.

[0059] As an optional embodiment, the target device to be upgraded is restarted after the upgrade is completed and connects to the front-end device based on the recorded front-end device information.

[0060] Optionally, when the upgrade of the target device to be upgraded is completed, that is, when the upgrade firmware is loaded, the device usually needs to be restarted. After receiving the upgrade instruction, the target device to be upgraded first responds to the master device and then starts the upgrade work such as firmware loading; after the upgrade is completed, the device restart can be delayed for a certain period of time. After the restart, the target device to be upgraded can be connected based on the recorded front-end device information. Because during the device upgrade process, wirelessly networked devices in the Mesh network may reselect the front-end device due to disconnection, resulting in a change in the original network topology. This ensures that the upgraded device can stably and quickly restore the network connection, which is crucial. After the target device to be upgraded is restarted, it will attempt to automatically connect to its original front-end device according to the front-end device information recorded before the upgrade, including key parameters such as SSID, password, and MAC address. This step ensures the consistency of the network topology before and after the upgrade, avoiding the device connecting to the wrong front-end device due to the upgrade restart, thus changing the network structure or reducing the network performance. To determine whether the target device to be upgraded has successfully connected to the correct front-end device, the master device continuously monitors the connection status in the network.

[0061] Through the above process, the system can effectively manage the upgrade and restart process of multiple devices, ensuring that the device can quickly and accurately restore the network connection based on the recorded front-end device information after the restart, thus maintaining the network stability and user experience. The setting of the preset duration takes into account the differences in upgrade time consumption of different devices and prevents restart failures caused by network fluctuations, which helps to improve the upgrade success rate and network reliability.

[0062] As an optional embodiment, when the connection duration between the target device to be upgraded and the front-end exceeds the second preset duration, the target device to be upgraded scans the currently connectable front-end devices again and connects according to its own connection strategy.

[0063] Optionally, a timeout duration, i.e., the second preset duration, can be set. This duration is used to determine whether it is reasonable for the device to attempt to connect using the original front-end device information after restarting. The setting of the second preset duration usually takes into account factors such as network environment fluctuations and connection stability between devices. After the target device to be upgraded restarts, it first attempts to connect to the original front-end device based on the front-end device information recorded before the upgrade (such as SSID, password, MAC address). At the same time, the duration of the connection attempt can be monitored. If the time taken for the device to attempt to connect after restarting exceeds the second preset duration, it is considered that the current connection attempt of the target device to be upgraded may no longer be effective or the success probability is relatively low due to environmental changes or front-end device problems. When it is determined that the current connection attempt duration exceeds the second preset duration, the target device to be upgraded can abandon the connection using the original information and instead adopt the method of scanning for connectable front-end devices in the current environment to reconnect. This is because the original device may no longer be suitable for connection, or the network environment has changed, and using the scanning connection can increase the probability of the device finding a suitable front-end device to maintain the network connection status. After the device reconnects to the front-end device using the scanning connection method, the main control device can confirm whether the device has successfully connected and monitor the overall performance of the network. If the device successfully connects, the target device to be upgraded can feedback relevant information to the main control device, and the main control device can further adjust the network settings and optimize the network topology to ensure network coverage and connection quality. If the device connection fails, user intervention may be required to check the device status or network environment and manually adjust the connection.

[0064] Through the above strategy, it is possible to intelligently evaluate whether to continue using the original front-end device information for connection or adopt a more flexible scanning connection method after the device is upgraded. This not only improves the success rate of device connection but also enhances the adaptability and stability of the network. Especially in complex network environments or when the device status changes frequently, it can more effectively restore and maintain the normal operation of the network.

[0065] Figure 2 is a flowchart of locking associated front-end devices according to an optional embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 2As shown, the master device sends a recording instruction to the target device to be upgraded. After receiving the locking instruction, the target device to be upgraded will record the detailed information of the currently associated front-end device to ensure that it can accurately restore to the network structure before the upgrade after the upgrade. After the target device to be upgraded completes the loading of the upgraded firmware and confirms that the information of the associated front-end device is saved, it will perform a restart operation. After the restart, it will attempt to restore the association with the front-end device using the information saved before the upgrade. At the same time, to ensure that the device can successfully connect within a certain period of time, a timer will be set to monitor the connection restoration process. If successful, it means that the device has successfully restored the association with the front-end device and can continue to perform subsequent operations or services. If failed, it means that the device fails to restore the association within the preset time and further troubleshooting or manual intervention may be required. If the device fails to successfully connect to the front-end device within the time set by the timer, a timeout event will be triggered. After the timeout, it indicates that the originally saved front-end device information may be invalid or there are connection problems between devices. The target device to be upgraded will autonomously scan the front-end devices that can be connected in the current environment and attempt to establish a connection with them. If there is no timeout, it means that the device is still trying to restore the association with the original front-end device and the process continues to monitor.

[0066] As an optional embodiment, when a new device is added to the networking system, the device information corresponding to the new device is obtained, where the device information includes the device model and version; based on the device information corresponding to the new device, the device group corresponding to the new device is determined.

[0067] Optionally, when a new device is added to the networking system, the master device will obtain the device information of the new device, including but not limited to the device model, version, MAC address, IP, networking method, estimated time required for upgrade, whether there is a new version of the firmware on the server, etc. The master device can determine the device group where the new device is located according to the collected device information.

[0068] In a networking system (such as a Mesh network), when a new device attempts to join the network, it first sends an information request to the master device via the network protocol, or the master device actively initiates an information query to the new device. The new device responds to the request and provides its basic information, including at least the device model and the currently running software version. After receiving the model and version information of the new device, the master device compares it with the known device information to analyze which device group the new device should be classified into. The division of device groups can be based on multiple criteria, such as device model, version number, function settings, etc. When the master device performs device group division, it can group all devices (including the master device itself) according to the collected information, such as model, version, etc.; then select a device as the firmware download device in each group according to the optimal path logic (determined based on factors such as link rate, wired / wireless connection, etc.). According to the analysis result, the master device will determine the device group to which the new device belongs. For example, if there are already devices of the same model in the system and these devices belong to the same device group, then the new device will also be added to that group. If the model or version of the new device is different from other devices, the master device may create a new group or assign it to a suitable existing group. After determining the group of the new device, the master device can also synchronize the information of the new device to other devices in the network and send a notification to the new device, instructing it to join the corresponding device group. This step ensures that all devices in the network can recognize the new device and cooperate with it or perform firmware upgrades when necessary.

[0069] Through the above steps, the addition of new devices can be effectively managed, ensuring that they can be classified and managed quickly and accurately, thereby improving the stability and efficiency of the entire network. This mechanism also makes the firmware upgrade process of the network more intelligent, capable of being optimized according to the device model and version, and reducing the management complexity brought by device diversity.

[0070] As an alternative embodiment, Figure 3 is the upgrade flowchart of the device upgrade method provided according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 3 shown, which includes device A, firmware download device B, master device, and device C. Among them, both device A and firmware download device B are of model 1 and are in the same device group. The master device and device C are both of model 2 and are in a device group, and the firmware download device in this device group is the master device.

[0071] First, the devices in the network are identified and grouped according to their model and version information. There are two device models, Model 1 and Model 2, and these devices include Device A, Firmware Download Device B, Master Control Device, and Device C. The Master Control Device is responsible for collecting and analyzing information of all devices in the network, including device model, current version, MAC address, IP address, networking method, and whether there is a new version of firmware applicable to the device on the server. Based on the collected basic information, the Master Control Device groups devices of the same model. For example, all devices of Model 1 (Device A and Device B) are grouped into one group, and devices of Model 2 (Master Control Device and Device C) are grouped into another group. After the upgrade is triggered, the control firmware download device queries the upgrade information. Among them, the Master Control Device will select one device from each group as the firmware download device to query for firmware. For example, Device B is selected among the devices of Model 1, and the Master Control Device itself is selected among the devices of Model 2. The designated firmware download device queries the server to check if there is a new firmware version applicable to its model and the list of devices to be upgraded. The query results will be synchronized to the Master Control Device, and the Master Control Device determines the target list of devices to be upgraded based on the query results and user selection. The firmware download device downloads the new firmware from the server. During this process, it will continuously report the download status and any error information to the Master Control Device. Once the firmware download device successfully downloads the firmware, it will transfer the firmware to other devices in the group that need to be upgraded via the local area network, reducing the burden on the server and waste of network resources. At the same time, the devices to be upgraded will send the transfer results to the firmware download device, and the firmware download device will then synchronize the transfer results to the Master Control Device. After the transfer is completed, the Master Control Device will uniformly send upgrade instructions to all devices that have completed firmware download. The target devices to be upgraded will feedback an acknowledgement instruction to the Master Control Device after receiving the upgrade instruction, indicating that they have received the upgrade instruction and started the upgrade. The target devices to be upgraded will perform firmware loading and then restart after the upgrade. The Master Control Device will start to restart after receiving the acknowledgement instructions from all devices to be upgraded.

[0072] In the above embodiments, in a network composed of multiple model devices, the multi-model devices can be synchronously upgraded, and it is supported to select some devices for synchronous upgrade, achieving the technical effect of reducing the overhead of unnecessary network resources.

[0073] It should be noted that for the foregoing method embodiments, for the sake of simple description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations. However, those skilled in the art should know that the present invention is not limited by the described action sequence, because according to the present invention, certain steps can be performed in other sequences or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also know that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0074] According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a networking system is further provided, including: a plurality of devices, where among the plurality of devices, there is a master device, and the master device can control the plurality of devices to be upgraded by using the device upgrade method of any one of the above networking systems.

[0075] The above networking system can be a Mesh network system, and the devices therein can be satellite devices. A Mesh network is a wireless network architecture where each device can communicate with one or more other devices to form a network, and data can be transmitted through multiple paths. It can also be an EasyMesh system, an Internet of Things (IoT) networking system, etc.

[0076] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device upgrade device for implementing the above device upgrade method is further provided. Figure 4 It is a structural block diagram of the device upgrade device provided according to an embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 4 shown. The device upgrade device includes: a first control module 402, a second control module 404, and a sending module 406. The device upgrade device will be described below.

[0077] The first control module 402 is used to control the firmware download device in the target device group in the networking system to download the target upgrade firmware of the target device group.

[0078] The second control module 404 is connected to the first control module 402 and is used to control the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to the target device to be upgraded in the target device group through the corresponding local area network.

[0079] The sending module 406 is connected to the second control module 404 and is used to send an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

[0080] It should be noted here that the above first control module 402, second control module 404, and sending module 406 correspond to steps S102 to S106 in the embodiment. The functions implemented by the multiple modules and the corresponding steps are the same in terms of examples and application scenarios, but are not limited to the content disclosed in the above embodiments.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored executable program, where when the executable program runs, it controls the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to execute any one of the above device upgrade methods.

[0082] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is provided, which is characterized by including:

[0083] a memory storing an executable program;

[0084] A processor for running a program, wherein when the program runs, it executes the device upgrade method of any one of the above.

[0085] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product including a computer program, characterized in that when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the device upgrade method of any one of the above.

[0086] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are only for description and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0087] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of the respective embodiments have their own focuses. For the parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0088] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of the units or modules can be in an electrical or other form.

[0089] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place or distributed to multiple units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0090] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present invention can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0091] When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The foregoing storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), mobile hard disks, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0092] The foregoing are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device upgrade method, characterized in that, Including: Controlling a firmware download device in a target device group in a networking system to download target upgrade firmware of the target device group; Controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to a target device to be upgraded in the target device group through a corresponding local area network; Sending an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to a target device to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: Reading an initial device list to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group from a preset server; Sending the initial device list to be upgraded to a target terminal; Receiving a target device list to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target device list to be upgraded is a list obtained by modifying and / or determining the initial device list to be upgraded; Synchronizing the target device list to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before controlling the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to a target device to be upgraded in the target device group, it includes: Receiving upgrade information feedback by a device in the target device group, where the upgrade information indicates whether the corresponding device needs to be upgraded; Determining an initial device list to be upgraded corresponding to the target device group based on the upgrade information corresponding to the devices in the target device group; Sending the initial device list to be upgraded to a target terminal; Receiving a target device list to be upgraded returned by the target terminal, where the target device list to be upgraded is a list obtained by modifying and / or determining the initial device list to be upgraded; Synchronizing the target device list to be upgraded to the firmware download device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein It also includes: Receiving the download duration feedback by the firmware download device; Judging whether the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds a first preset duration; In the case where the download duration corresponding to the firmware download device exceeds the first preset duration, controlling the firmware download device to stop downloading and generate a prompt message.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, it includes: Sending a recording instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the recording instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to record the information of the front-end device currently connected; 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein When the upgrade of the target device to be upgraded ends, the target device to be upgraded is restarted and connected to the front-end device based on the recorded front-end device information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes that in the case where the connection duration between the target device to be upgraded and the front-end exceeds a second preset duration, the target device to be upgraded scans and connects to the currently connectable front-end devices again according to its own connection strategy.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, It also includes: When a new device is added to the networking system, obtaining the device information corresponding to the new device, where the device information includes the device model and version; Determining the device group corresponding to the new device based on the device information corresponding to the new device.

9. An equipment upgrading device, characterized in that, Including: The first control module is configured to control a firmware download device in a target device group in a networking system to download a target upgrade firmware of the target device group; The second control module is configured to control the firmware download device to transmit the target upgrade firmware to a target device to be upgraded in the target device group through a corresponding local area network; The sending module is configured to send an upgrade instruction to the target device to be upgraded, where the upgrade instruction is used to instruct the target device to be upgraded to perform an upgrade based on the target upgrade firmware.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored executable program, where when the executable program runs, it controls the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located to execute the device upgrade method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that, Comprising: A memory storing an executable program; A processor configured to run the program, where when the program runs, it executes the device upgrade method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the steps of the device upgrade method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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